HILLSVILLE — When a new football coach joins a team that's won the state championship, he wants to keep that organization successful, says Doug Reavis, who's joining the staff of the Carroll Wellness Center.

That's going to be his philosophy in leading the non-profit that promotes health and wellness in Hillsville.

Randall Gravley, chairman of the wellness center's board of directors, announced Reavis' hiring as the new facility director on June 28, to start work July 5.

Reavis has valuable experiences in athletics, coaching, fitness and conditioning, youth involvement and past ownership and operation of the Nautilus Fitness Center, Gravley explained. Based on those factors, the board choose Reavis from an impressive field of applicants as the right person to lead and promote the wellness center.

"I've been involved in strength and conditioning as a background pretty much my entire adult life," Reavis told The Gazette. "I played athletics in high school and college and then went straight into coaching and teaching, dealing with fitness and strength and conditioning programs."

Besides running the fitness center with members of his family, Reavis and his wife later operated a small business supplying motivational charts and record and goal boards for high school and college athletic programs.

Reavis has enjoyed being a member of the Carroll Wellness Center since it opened in 2004, and he believes it provides great services to the community — it's a phenomenal place and the staff has done an incredible job in the last six years, he said.

"It's the highlight of my day, coming up here just to work out and hang out with people," he said. "To get to work up here is just a really big honor for me."

He'll be able to come to a "happy place" to work every day.

Wanting to help people reach their fitness and conditioning goals is something that Reavis looks forward to. He always enjoyed it when he could help his students achieve their goals and what it did for their self-esteem.

He doesn't have any new programming ideas right now, preferring to learn what has made the center successful so far and trying to build on that.

"I just want to come in and learn from them how they've done so well and if I can see anything in there that I can help out with and take some pressure off, that's what I want to do," he said. "I certainly wouldn't want to come in and change anything that's working — that would be really, really unwise."

For the time being, Reavis will work to become more familiar with the staff and the business side of the facility, Gravley explained.

Reavis is an excellent fit for the wellness center, Gravley said.

"His experience and positive attitude will definitely help promote a state of good health for the citizens of Carroll County and the surrounding areas through programs and activities at the center," Gravley said in prepared remarks. "Members of the CWC board feel fortunate that Doug is available and are pleased with his excitement and enthusiasm as he begins his tenure as facility director."